1. Augustine viewed the secular world as autonomous but temporary, until Christ's return, while the church proclaimed the eternal kingdom of God. 2. He resisted the idea of a "Christian empire" and making the secular world sacred. The earthly city was mixed with good and bad, unlike the eternal city of God. 3. Augustine believed rulers and governments were secondary to the kingdom of God and would ultimately fail. The church experienced the true eternal public community, not secular institutions.